Level Themes.

[TheMutantSpaceDancer]

What is your favorite themes for levels in videogames? Personally I like Halloween, Casino and Sweets Factory themed levels.

 

[peq42_]

Nice question, i never thought about that.

Maybe...Space?Medieval sometimes... and apocalypses(mainly zombie, or the one from Metro 2033/Last Light, wich are AMAZING games)

 

[Ms Littlefish]

I love anything haunted. Haunted house, haunted forest, haunted whatever. Whether it be that kind cutesy haunted or like actually scary haunted. I dig it. I also love places like the circus/festival or other public events and areas like that.

 

[Llareian]

Factories (of any kind) are fun because they usually have a logic all their own, but for sheer ambiance I'd go with anything with a dark/forbidden forest vibe.

 

[Applesaws]

Haunted (like everyone else) lol
Circus
Crystal cavern/ice cave types because they usually look pretty
Any kind of enchanted forest place
Heaven/Holy levels (that IS a thing I just don't know what to call it exactly)
Casinos! That's the FNV stan in me coming out, though.

I don't like sewer levels or, like, idk factory/industrial levels? Mostly because they're ugly ngl. I also hate beach levels/tropical levels because the music is usually so horribly annoying.

 

[Matseb2611]

Awesome! Glad you made this topic. Copying my choices from the status reply but with longer explanations.

- urban streets at night/cyberpunk vibe
This is probably my most favourite setting/theme for a level. It gives me some sort of nostalgia and deep longing. Something with that dark/dangerous near future vibe. Technology, dense urban environment, crime, etc. Best when combined with retro synthwave music.
- ancient ruins, particularly if taken over by nature
I've always been fascinated with the idea of nature taking over long after our civilisation has disappeared, and seeing it represented in games often feels somewhat calming and intriguing. Oftentimes you see a ruined location and you wonder how it might've looked when it was still being used.
- gothic places, like mansions and palaces
These always give me a sort of dark and somewhat romantic feel. Especially when the dark feel of the place is offset by a lot of bright colours that are used in its decoration. And moody music on top.
- sea-related and underwater, but NO swimming sections
I guess it's no secret that the underwater world is a huge mystery to us, and that's what intrigues me about this setting. But also I like the idea of human-made structures being built on or along the sea.
- deep space/aboard spaceship
When done right, it can make things feel extremely isolated, because when in space, you're millions of miles away from any other life. It's both scary and fascinating.
- mysterious, ghost-town like locations which should be busy but are not (e.g. empty cities, schools, hospitals).
What attracts me about these kind of locations is how unusual they are. Normally you see city streets, schools, and hospitals as full of people. So when you see them completely empty with no signs of life, it's very strange and unsettling. With the right atmosphere, it's perfect for horror settings.

I'll post more if I remember.

 

[robhr]

Urban settings, space settings and tundra settings would have to be my favourite.

 

[dbchest]

my favorite theme is an atmospheric forest; one of my all time favorite levels in any game is the stickerbrush level from Donkey Kong Country 2, where you play as the parrot (Squawk), and you have to carry the kongs through the stickerbrush and contact in any direction loses a kong.

 

[Lornsteyn]

Winter/Snow
Ancient Ruins
Ships/Airships
Forests
Technology/Factory

 

[TheoAllen]

Anything beyond the sky. Let it be in airship, or floating sky island. Space punk also counts

Crystal World. Let it be crystal cave or another world with lots of crystals. Scenery usually so pretty

Industrial Theme, or Tech theme, could be cyber punk where u transferred into cyber world, or simply industrial zone

Destroyed City, or maybe I'd say Apocalypse theme. Usually this kind of setting tells you a story without a word by the setting itself. This also why I'm fan of Fallout

 

[Canini]

I like things that are disguised as something else. One of the reasons I still play Team Fortress is that I really enjoy the general aesthetic with spy-bases disguised as farms, coal mines and parks. There are numerous examples in videogames of forests and woodlands disguised as portals to other worlds, temples and stuff like that. Yet another example is the Silent Hill Historical Society in Silent Hill 2 which is a gateway to hidden passages below the nearby lake, extending deep into the earth. I don´t know why but I have always been interested in the concept of simulacrum.